"Turtles, toads.. It's all the same, running circles in circles.."

Battletoads was a beat-em-up series that started out on the NES, and was made by Rare. Although I believe they were under a different name at the time of the first games in the series, I know Battletoads/Double Dragon on Genesis said Rare in the intro. Now thought of as one of the most difficult games on the system by many who have played it, the Gameboy version doesn't change that difficulty level. With some insane levels, stupid looking toads, and no real sense of meaning, Battletoads is a winner. Obviously.

Dude! This is just like my Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game! Dude! DUDE!!

Most people who play any Battletoads game should notice without any difficulty extreme similarties between this and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. An organization of animals, for the most part only distinctable between colors, both are generally associated with water, even though toads really shouldn't be. It's really very much like a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game. Which is probably one reason I like this so much.

I first tried this game at a friend's house when he borrowed it from a friend. That was a very long time ago. Eventually once I had gotten my own Gameboy unit, I knew from the start that I wanted this game. So, after some searching, I found it. After putting it in, I remembered how much I really liked this game when I first tried it years back. So, after listening to the fast paced theme to the game for a few times, I finally hit Start. A few screens come up showing a bird wearing a shirt, a sexy woman who appears to be an enemy, and someone else who looks to be a bull. Yeah, this is definitely by Rare. It's not every company that has a half naked man as a mascot, you know.. I want to see a company adopt Goatse Man as a mascot, myself.

Now I'm dropped into the main part of the game.. I find my toad on some cliffs, with some pigs in spandex uniforms coming at me with axes. Going through the level, you don't see too many more new characters. Mostly the same ones through the whole level.. Then new ones the next level.. And so on through all the levels. Like your general game in this style, except moreso. Okay, I'm tired, bug off if that sounded stupid. The point I'm trying to get is there are only about two or three different enemies per stage usually. This sameness throughout the whole stage seriously bores the game more than you'd expect it to. Which is one of the worse aspects of the game. Fighting the same freakin pig over and over gets boring. Anyway, at the end of the level I find that bull guy again. And he has a bigger axe. So, I beat the snot out of him, and go onto the next level..

However, this isn't so straightforward as most games in this genre. Now you're in a plane, and you shoot enemies as they come to you. And in the level is something that's about the same those speedbike stages in the the other games in this series.. A part where there are walls and you have to go between the gaps as well as you can. And crashing once.. Starts you all over. This level is harder than most of the other levels in the game, and it's the second one. It's things like this that make the game as hard as it is. Without these stupid levels, it could be possible to get through without going mad. However, that's not possible. These little games such as the speedbike are part of what defines Battletoads as different. Not that it's a good difference, it's just a difference.

Why does this look better than most any other game on this system..

One thing that impressed me the first time around on Battletoads was the graphics. Looking better than the NES graphics, or at least on par with.. Ignoring the obvious fact that the Gameboy didn't have color, if you wanted pretty graphics on Gameboy, this seemed to stand out for me. Very cartoony style to the sprites, and it comes out well. Not blocky at all. Heck, it looks better than many games which were released after it. Many. Strange but true..

The music didn't really fail, either. Very good sounds in the music, with almost every song fitting the atmosphere of the game. It worked very well to have this music in conjunction with the game. I've found myself sitting down, getting into a level, and just standing still, and listening to the music. I probably enjoyed the music more than most any other person I know, so that might not be too accurate with everyone. That's more personal opinion than fact, seeing as how it's not quite as easy to grade music as it is to grade graphics. Graphics have a pretty firm standard of good and bad, music is much more varied. Doesn't stop me from hating N'Sync, however.

Let's see.. Maybe this time I can beat that big ball of snot that runs me over..

The game is overall a fun experience for the first time through, and quite enjoyable to try to do better at later. Although it can get very annoying trying to dodge walls and run faster than a hunk of snot behind you. It has some very difficult levels which are very obnoxious and disappointingly difficult. However, the main parts of the game, where it sticks to what it does best (Being knocking the crud out of pigs in spandex) are fun. It's sort of a mixed bag, many will hate it, many will like it. It's very dependent upon how patient you are.

It all breaks down..
Graphics: 9
Music: 7
Fun: 6
Replay: 4
Overall: 7

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 11/08/00, Updated 04/21/02